女作家Bel Kaufman於1911年生於蘇聯，幼年就移民美國。

星期日傍晚她和丈夫坐在公園長椅上看書，三歲的兒子Larry在沙坑玩，公園裡依然溫暖但很安靜，她心中洋溢著幸福，想著他們應該經常走出戶外。丈夫在大學裡教書，臉色總顯得很蒼白。另一個壯壯的小男孩也在沙坑玩，兩個小孩都蹲著認真地挖沙。突然小男孩站起來將鏟子裡的沙往Larry身上倒，「小朋友，不可以，沙子進到眼睛會痛！」她邊說邊找孩子的父母。只見一個壯漢霸佔整張長椅在看漫畫，他應該是小男孩的父親。他頭也不抬繼續看著漫畫，還很純熟地吐了口痰。
He was a big man., and he seemed to be taking up the whole bench as he held the Sunday comics close to his face. She supposed he was the child's father. He did not look up from his comics, but spat once deftly out of the corner of his mouth.

小男孩繼續倒沙子在Larry的身上，Larry望著媽媽不知該怎麼辦？她有股衝動想教訓小男孩，可是想必須讓Larry自己去面對，就嚴厲地說「不可以！」「沒關係，再倒，愛倒多少就倒多少，這是公園！」男人大聲地說。丈夫這時才放下書，堆著靦腆賠罪的笑容像在指點學生錯誤一般對那男人講道理：「你說的沒錯，但是你……」男人瞪著丈夫，語氣兇悍地說：「怎樣？」丈夫下巴肌肉緊繃，看到一向溫文的丈夫不得不面對他很陌生厭惡的處境，她充滿憐惜也氣那男人。
She noticed the muscle in his jaw tighten. He was rarely angry; he seldom lost his temper. She was suffused with a tenderness for her husband and an impotent rage against the man for involving him in a situation so alien and so distasteful to him.

男人朝他們走來，要挑釁？要打架？她兩腳膝蓋發抖當下想拉丈夫的袖子叫他坐下，但還是忍住。兩個男人對看了一會兒，然後丈夫回過身說：「我們走吧！」夫妻兩人牽著Larry走出公園時她鬆了一口氣，還好沒有打架沒人受傷。但是內心深處卻有種逃避不掉的低落，不是為這件不愉快的事也不是為了人善卻被人欺的打擊，而是針對丈夫的態度。丈夫突然開口：「打架也無濟於事，我可能牙齒被打斷，幾天無法教書，何必呢？」她加快腳步一心只想回家，趕緊讓忙碌熟悉的家事來排除黏著在心中膠泥般的情緒。
She quickened her step. She wanted only to get home and to busy herself with her familiar tasks; perhaps then the feeling, glued like heavy plaster on her heart, would be gone.

兒子一路上哭鬧不停，她很煩也很怨恨兒子如此脆弱。丈夫忿忿地說：「老天！你叫他別再哭了！你管不了他，我來管！」「真的？」她冷冷，細弱卻帶輕蔑的口吻，連自己都嚇了一跳。
She was shocked to hear it, thin and cold and penetrating with contempt. "Indeed" she heard herself say. "You "